Otaki TodayAn extraordinary meeting of councillors has re-affirmed an earlier decision to give voters the ability to choose a Māori ward councillor at next year’s local body elections.
At the meeting on August 6, Kāpiti Coast District Council re-affirmed their decision in November last year to establish a Māori ward.
Mayor Janet Holborow says re-affirming the decision to establish a Māori ward supports the position of the council’s mana whenua partners, and will ensure Māori have greater access to local decision-making.
“It also supports the position of Local Government New Zealand, who have stated that reversing councils’ ability to decide on Māori wards without polls is an overreach by central government and unfairly singles out Māori voters,” the mayor says.
An amendment in 2021 to the Local Electoral Act (2001) allowed the council last year to make the decision to establish a Māori ward without a poll.
After that decision, the council began a representation review to determine how the new Māori ward would be incorporated into the council structure for the 2025 local government elections.
The review also provides an opportunity to assess the number of councillors, community board members, and types of wards and their boundaries.
The process began with early engagement between March 4 and April 2 this year to ask the community what it thought aboout how it would like to be represented.
The council received 285 submissions, with the majority indicating the current arrangements worked well, and supported the inclusion of the new Māori ward with minimal changes to the current council structure.
On April 4, local government minister Simeon Brown announced the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Constituencies) Amendment Bill which became legislation on July 30.
The Bill reinstates a requirement for councils such as Kāpiti Coast to hold a poll at the 2025 local government elections for any Māori wards established without a poll. While the Māori ward will be in place for 2025, the poll will determine its future for the 2028 and 2031 local government elections.
“We’re disappointed in the government’s position, and don’t believe a poll gives Māori voters an opportunity to decide on their own representation,” the mayor says. “It’s about ensuring communities of interest have an opportunity to vote for who will represent them best, remembering that all councillors swear to execute and perform their duties in the best interest of the entire Kāpiti Coast district.”
The Bill also requires councils to re-affirm or reverse their decision to establish Māori wards.
Re-affirming their decision on August 6 meant the council would continue with the current representation review to determine representation arrangements, including establishing the new Māori ward, for the 2025 local government elections.
“In coming to this decision, we’ve listened to all of the feedback, and respected the views of everyone in the community, but particularly those most affected,” Janet says.
Consultation on Kāpiti’s proposed structure for the 2025 elections was to begin on Thursday, August 8.
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